


Little Voices

by Zakani_Donovan



Series: Well, That Was A Thing (Good Omens One-Shots) [17]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Gay, Ineffable Godfathers, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Shoulder demon, Silly, good omens - Freeform, shoulder angel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25388788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zakani_Donovan/pseuds/Zakani_Donovan
Summary: Adam's just a regular human who's got an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other, who will he listen to? Well, that depends on the situation.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Adam Young (Good Omens), Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley & Adam Young (Good Omens)
Series: Well, That Was A Thing (Good Omens One-Shots) [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800655
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	Little Voices

**Author's Note:**

> Context: Based on fanart by coalhaze on Twitter. Plain italics will be used for Adam's thoughts. When italics are bold, that's Crowley speaking inside Adam's mind and when italics are underlined, it's Aziraphale. 

Before you begin: [This one-shot is based on this specific piece of fan-art.](https://twitter.com/coalhaze/status/1159097084022104064?s=21)  
  


Adam Young was a bright boy, always had been. He was smart, creative, but sometimes he had issues with right and wrong. Specifically, picking which one suited him more. For most of his life he had a little voice inside his head, his conscience, which would help him weigh his decisions. Eventually, that turned into two separate voices. When he turned 11 years old, these voices of right and wrong started manifesting in physical forms.

He now had a black-clad demon with shades on his right shoulder, and a cream and tan garbed angel on his left. To say he was shocked in the morning of his birthday was an understatement. He bolted out of the bed upon opening his eyes and seeing two tiny faces floating above him.

"What are a bunch of fairies doing in my room?!" He yelled, backed into the door of his room.

The little demon frowned and flew toward him at full speed. "Woah, woah, woah! You see any color or sparkles coming from our wings? We ain't fairies, mate."

"He's right, dear boy. I'm afraid those don't exist." Said the angel as he flew over to them.

Adam stared at both of them, his jaw dropping in the process. "Holy crap, you talk!"

"Indeed, we do."

"So... What? You're both angels then?" Asked the child, noting the blond's heavenly appearance.

The little demon shrugged a bit with a tilt of the head. "Same species, different political party. Do I need to grow a pair of horns and a tail for you to figure it out?"

Adam's eyes grew wider and his eyebrows almost shot up into his hairline. "Wait, so it's **not** just a cartoon thing? People **actually** have a little angel and devil on their shoulder?!"

"Yup. Once you're old enough you get one of each assigned to you and you're stuck with us forever. Or until one of use gets replaced." Said the tiny devil.

The boy made a face. "Replaced? Why would you get replaced?" He asked as he stood up and away from his bedroom door.

"If we don't do a good enough job, influence you too little, someone takes our spot." Explained the black haired demon.

He walked over to his bed and sat, his legs hanging over the edge. "So **everyone** has a pair of you with them? Why haven't I seen any before?"

"Well Adam, that's because we were assigned to you. If we were assigned to multiple people at the same time, they would all be able to see us. But yes, everyone has an angel and a demon of their own." Said the blond in a very matter-of-fact tone.

Adam took a moment to internalize the new information and began connecting dots. Perhaps all the times he saw people talking to themselves, they were actually speaking to their shoulder voices. Although, he wasn't quite sure if that was the case with R. P. Tyler or not. He and the rest of The Them always insisted he was crazy. Whatever the case, he realized this would take some getting used to. So the next logical step, would be knowing how to address them.

"Do you two have names?"

"Call me Crowley. The adorable creampuff is Aziraphale." Said the demon as he sat on Adam's right shoulder.

The angel rolled his eyes before standing on the child's left shoulder. "My dear, I **can** introduce myself, you know."

Adam made a face. "You two know each other?"

"Oh yeah, we've been getting paired up for centuries. Probably the only pair that actually gets along." Said Crowley while getting comfortable and lying down on his shoulder.

The boy quickly turned to the demon. "Hang on, you're **friends**? I don't know anything about religion, but isn't that, like, against the rules?"

Crowley shrugged. "The Almighty hasn't done anything about it and, of course, She knows. I mean, She's **God** , how wouldn't she?"

"Wait- God's a woman? Wicked!" Exclaimed Adam, wondering how Pepper would react to that. If she wasn't already aware.

Now Aziraphale sat on the boy's shoulder. "Yes, She is indeed. And it's just as Crowley said, She **must** know. Besides, I believe She would've separated us a long time ago if She didn't want us getting along."

Adam hummed, a comparison popping into his brain considering the contrast which he had on either side of him. "Isn't that like Shakespeare? You two getting on but you shouldn't, 'cause of family?"

"Ugh, **please** don't get him started on Shakespeare!" Groaned Crowley as he covered his face with both hands. 

But it was too late, and Aziraphale giddily started breaking down the many similarities and differences shared between them and the English playwright's story. This was when Adam learned a crucial tidbit about the angel: he loved reading. And apparently, Crowley did not, because he was snoring softly within minutes.

One thing which Adam didn't like about his new companions, was the fact that they could read his mind. Granted, it wasn't every single thought which they could hear, only the ones where he would be questioning the morality of something. Good vs Evil, and all that. Crowley and Aziraphale heard all those thoughts, whether they meant to or not. But they made it very clear early on, that they would try to stay out of his head as much as possible so he could still have some privacy.

This was already more than other angels and demons were willing to do. According to Crowley, the angel Gabriel and demon Beelzebub knew just about every thought in R. P. Tyler's head and that only added to the old man's terrible temper. Adam of course, had no idea who those two entities were, but he took his demon's word for it, since he didn't seem too evil. Plus, the angel on his other shoulder trusted him, so how bad could he **really** be?

~~~~~

Aziraphale and Crowley, Adam soon found out, bickered like children. Or an old married couple. He had mentioned that last comparison out loud and he didn't get insulted like he had expected. In fact, he heard the demon mumbling something along the lines of 'Yeah, I fucking **wish** , mate.' The boy then started paying attention to the pair's mannerisms with one another. Yup, they were definitely flirting. Or attempting to, anyway. It was amusing to watch sometimes. Sometimes. Other times, like when he was wondering about cheating on a test or not, it was rather annoying to not find them on their respective shoulders.

Thanks to their behavior and what they had said about other angels and demons, Adam grew curious and started asking his friends about theirs. Brian had Sandalphon & Hastur, Pepper had Michael & Ligur and Wensleydale had Uriel & Dagon. Apparently, they're all very annoying to deal with and Adam was glad he didn't have to listen to their advice.

_**Ya see, kid? We might not be the most dedicated bunch, but at least we won't drive you mad.** _

_Certainly not intentionally. Again I say, if you ever need more space, do let us know, dear._

_Got it. Hey, are either of you friends with my English teacher's angel or demon?_

_ I don't believe we know them. Why do you ask? _

_To see if I can get into Mr. Latimer's good graces through his angel. I really don't like his class, but I have a better chance of passing if he likes me._

_Adam, that would be wrong. I can't let you do that._

**_I can._ **

_ Crowley! _

**_What? I'm doing my job for once! You should be proud, angel. I'm being responsible!_ **

_ Suddenly trying to be employee of the month? _

_**Well, that, and I know you love English and anything book related. Be a real shame if that teacher suddenly became likable and didn't give too many reading assignments...** _

_You fiend!_

_You can do that?_

_**I can try, depending on who's on his shoulder.** _

_Brilliant! Keep your eyes peeled next time we're in his classroom._

**_You got it, boss._ **

_ I hope you two realize this is most certainly doomed to fail. _

**_You hear that, Adam? He didn't say '100%'! That means he's not too sure of himself there! We have a chance!_ **

They did not have a chance. Mr. Latimer's angel was an even bigger stickler for the rules and literature than Aziraphale was. It surprised them all. Adam was momentarily upset about it, but they all managed to laugh about it that night. As he drifted off to sleep, he could've sworn he saw the demon reaching for the angel when he flew away from him. Had it meant something? Adam was too tired to tell.

~~~~~

The old man had gone **too** far this time, according to Adam. This was the last straw. The Them had been hanging out in the woods, as they always did, and found an old abandoned cottage. It wasn't too old or too modern. Mainly a husk of its old self but it was a very interesting aesthetic and an overall fun area. For a while, this became their new hangout spot, until R. P. Tyler ratted them out to their parents. After that, the neighborhood watch got hold of the property owner's and convinced them to tear the house down for being 'an unsafe structure for the children in the area'.

For ‘trespassing’, The Them we're grounded for several days. Adam stomped into his room and slammed the door. He wanted to rant but didn't want to get into even more trouble, so he decided to do it in his mind. Seeing how upset he was, the angel and demon figured it'd be best to hear him out, possibly help him cool down. Or add more fuel to the fire, in Crowley's case.

_-Stupid old man! He's a total Scrooge who can't see anyone else having fun but him! Someone's gotta teach him a lesson!_

_Dear boy calm down, you'll only get in trouble for messing with him._

_But we weren't messing with him, or anybody! And he still ruined our new spot! We never mess with him when he's gardening and stuff, why does he keep us from having fun?! You know what we should do? We should ruin his garden, see how he likes it!_

_ Now Adam- _

**_I'm in! How do you wanna do it, kid?_ **

_ Crowley, really? _

**_Yeah, it's my job! What do you have in mind?_ **

_I don't know yet, but it should do with his garden. That's all he cares about. That and his dog, but I'm not for kidnapping and I don't think Dog would want a sibling._

_**Yeah, let's not do anything too illegal, you're still young.** _

The demon and child schemed for a while, promptly ignoring the angel's good influences. Eventually, when Aziraphale realized they were incredibly intent on revenge and he wouldn't be able to stop them, he decided to join them to make sure they didn't get caught. You see, the original plan was to invade R. P. Tyler's backyard to destroy all his flowers, but it would've been done manually. Adam would sneak in, hack all the flora to pieces and pull out whatever he could by the roots.

Aziraphale just knew the boy would get caught. The hacking from whatever tool he would use would make far too much noise and it would take too long. They needed something quick and silent. He was able to convince them to stakeout the place first, once he wasn't grounded anymore.

_It'll be like those spy movies you two love so much._

**_Ooh, I like that, angel! What say you, Adam? Wanna explore your inner James Bond?_ **

_Always!_

They noticed that R. P. Tyler would water his plants twice a day, once in the mornings before his walks and once in the evenings before heading in for the night. He would always use a metal watering-can with a medium-sized opening at the top. This meant R. P. Tyler couldn't actually see into the can very well. Thanks to that, Crowley thought it would be perfect for adding something to the water instead of to the plants themselves. So this was how they added a bit of salt into the watering-can before the old man added the water from the garden's spigot. They made sure to add a moderate amount so it wouldn't feel heavier than usual, look or smell any different.

They did this daily for several days and Crowley's trained botanical eye quickly noticed that their plan was working. Soon enough, R. P. Tyler's plants were wilting, dying and the old man couldn't figure out why. He started assuming there was something wrong with his garden's pipes and he hired some people to replace all the piping. The Them watched from afar and laughed before disappearing into the woods.

~~~~~

It was 1 am on a Friday night, Adam was incredibly bored and, unfortunately, not tired at all. He had already watched everything he had on his watchlist, he had read every comic he owned and couldn't find anything decent on YouTube. So rather than seeking entertainment, he tried finding a way to fall asleep. He counted sheep, he listened to relaxing ambiance noises, he even lit some candles in hopes that the smell would put him at ease. Nothing worked and he laid there on his bed, frustrated.

Suddenly, a random thought entered his mind. Several days ago at school, he heard Greasy Johnson talking about what wine tasted like and what it made him feel. He distinctly recalled him mentioning a 'loopy sensation that made him fall asleep even though he didn't really want to’. Right now, that sounded just about perfect to Adam. With that, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs.

Aziraphale had been writing out the week's report at the boy's desk and didn't notice him getting up. Crowley had been on his phone up until a few moments ago, but he was currently napping on Dog's back. That was when they heard that familiar doubt ring out in the boy's head.

_Should I really do this?_

**_ Do what?! _ **

Both entities snapped themselves to Adam's location. He was downstairs, standing on top of a chair, trying to open the wine cabinet. Or rather, trying to reach the key his father always left on top of the cabinet in order to unlock it.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Asked the angel, suddenly in his face.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Come on angel, the answer's fairly obvious. Kid's curious about alcohol." He said as he sat on his shoulder.

"He's far too young for that."

"I disagree." Challenged the demon. "The younger ones are usually the more curious, especially because parents won't give them real answers. It's always 'We'll tell you when you're older.' or 'You won't care, that's grown-ups business.' They get sick of it and try to find out the truth for themselves-"

"I just want to sleep!" Exclaimed the boy as loudly as he could without waking up his parents.

This wasn't the first time Aziraphale and Crowley bickered and forgot that Adam was right there. So they apologized and let him tell his side. Once that was explained, the two beings nodded and gave their opinions.

"You know dear, I can think of several reasons why you shouldn't resort to prepubescent alcohol abuse." Started Aziraphale.

"The first one being: your body hasn't developed enough to properly handle alcohol and it could do more damage because of it." Added Crowley.

"Secondly: the vintage your father keeps here is absolutely dreadful! You should wait until you're of age and can get a decent drink, so you can properly enjoy it."

"And third: you'll sleep like a baby after drinking some of Aziraphale's hot cocoa. Come on."

As far as Crowley’s report was concerned, the angel thwarted his evil plan.

~~~~~

Another night, they had the opposite issue. Adam was tired but didn't want to admit it. He almost seemed like a fussy toddler. The main reason for this was that Brian had mentioned something about being able to function just fine on 5 hours of sleep and Adam had said he would be just as able to function on 3. Wensleydale and Pepper didn't join in on the bet, they knew better.

_I have stay up as late as possible!_ He told himself repeatedly moving all over the room, shinning a flashlight in his eyes, or splashing some water on his face whenever he felt himself start to doze off.

Aziraphale tried reasoning with him. _My dear, it's a school night. You can't sneak out, there's nothing on television and the WiFi is down. There's nothing to do! Just give in to sleep._

**_Ooh, angel, read Shakespeare, that'll knock him out for sure._ **

_I know you're just trying to upset me, serpent. It won't work._

_**What if I had said 'Wilde' instead?** _

_ Fiend. I'll deal with you once we get him to go to bed. _

_Good luck. It's not gonna work. Look, it's already midnight!_

**_Y'know, he's got a point, angel. He's already made it this far, why not leave him be?_ **

_ Really my dear, you truly believe this is a smart idea? _

**_I don't know about it being ‘smart’, but I know I'll be entertained by the things he'll have to do to stay awake during class tomorrow. And I can say it was my idea in the report!_ **

Aziraphale was determined to get the boy to fall asleep. After some time, he managed to convince Adam into helping him pick which classical melody was more relaxing. He was out like a light in minutes. Crowley crossed his arms while smirking at the angel.

"Well, it wasn't Shakespeare or Wilde but it certainly did the job. Nice job." He said as he and Aziraphale tucked in the boy.

The angel smiled at him. "I should be thanking you, darling. ‘Boring him to sleep’ was exactly what he needed."

~~~~~

For a while, the boy accepted that Crowley and Aziraphale were truly the only celestial pair who got along well. He doubled down on this thought process on a Saturday morning while he was scrolling along his YouTube recommendations (procrastinating, like Crowley had suggested, instead of starting his book report which was due on Monday) and found a very specific song which he immediately connected to the two. ["I'll See Your Heart And I'll Raise You Mine" by Bell X1.](https://youtu.be/ocuH98Z8pYA%20)

As the song's lyrics flashed up on screen, Adam couldn't help but draw comparisons to the two supernatural entities which hovered around him. In the end, he just had to ask.

"Is this song about you two?"

Crowley scoffed and crossed his arms, looking off into the distance. "Why would you think that? Aziraphale doesn't even play poker!" He said in a tone which very much told Adam he didn't want to talk about it.

"I don't think the poker bit's literal, Crowley..." Said the boy, in a bad effort at getting him to open up.

Knowing the demon wouldn't say anything about it, Aziraphale spoke up. "Yes, Adam, it is. Not something we're exactly proud to be associated with."

"Why not? It's a nice song."

"Considering what we went through after it was written and released, we tend to not see it in that light." Explained the principality.

Adam pouted. "So, what light do you see it in?"

"Failure. That's all it is, a fucking failure!" Growled Crowley.

"How is this a failure?" Asked the boy.

Aziraphale sighed and sat on the boy's shoulder. "Well, dear boy, the song was indeed written about us but not for good reason. You see, we were assigned to one of the band members at the time and we weren't focusing on him enough. It lead to Crowley being replaced."

"Why?"

Aziraphale was wringing his hands. "Most of our focus was not with our human and he did not like that. His logic was 'why bother having an angel and a demon to sway you one way or another, when they're too in love with each other pay attention to you?' Which is understandable, that is our job. So, he made a complaint, and Crowley was replaced shortly after."

Adam looked at the demon. "Just Crowley?"

"Yes. Our superiors decided to get a more 'evil' demon to work opposite of me... I must admit, I didn't preform to the best of my abilities after that change. Eventually, that got me replaced as well and I was behind my desk Upstairs again for a while..."

Aziraphale wouldn't admit it to Adam, not now at least, but Crowley knew what he had meant by that. The angel had been depressed during that time in Heaven. He wasn't aware that was what he was going through as it happened, but looking back on it, there was no doubt in his mind.

Crowley finally spoke up, his voice was quiet but still very bitter. "We were separated until we were assigned to you last year, but we didn't know that until we showed up at midnight. It was a miracle our crying didn't wake you up..."

"Crying?" He looked at the black-clad supernatural being but his body language was still closed off.

Aziraphale nodded. "We didn't know if we'd ever see each other again and we had no way of communicating... We've known and worked with each other for six thousand years, been together for half that time, and that was the only time one of us had ever gotten replaced because of a human's complaint. We weren't even aware it was happening, Crowley's replacement just showed up with the paperwork and he had to leave... We couldn't even say goodbye to one another."

Suddenly, all the pining between them made sense to Adam. They were protecting each other. They never wanted to be separated again, so they tried keeping their distance. Not totally, obviously, but that explained why they would look sad when drifting off to their respective shoulder. And why most days both the angel and demon would insist on him going to bed early, even when it wasn't a school night. It was the only time they could be with each other and not be scared of getting replaced again.

_This isn't fair. They're good people. Well, not people, but they're good! They're just in love, why would they get punished for that? How is this considered right?_

_ How is what considered right, my dear? _

_You two being separated._

_ We weren't doing our job- _

_So what? You weren't hurting anyone, right? You were just quiet! I like you guys, but I'd love to have my thoughts to myself again every once in a while, why would that guy be so- wait-_

"That's it!" The boy exclaimed, startling both beings.

"What's 'it'?" Asked the angel.

Adam faced him again. "You won't get replaced with me because I wouldn't complain about you two not doing your job! You can be together all the time, I won't mind!"

Tears started brimming on the blond's eyelids, threatening to spill and his voice wavered. "Adam... We appreciate the thought but-"

"But what? You guys always answer when I have a **real** problem, anyway. Why not just, y'know, be happy? I want you to be happy." Said the boy before feeling a tug on his shirt's collar. It was Crowley.

"Adam, do you really mean that?" He asked in a soft whisper. He wasn't looking at him.

The Young's child nodded emphatically. "Yeah, 'course I do. You guys are like my godfathers. Not related to me, but you try to make sure I'm healthy and happy. Why shouldn't I do the same for you?" His focus shifted to the blond again.

Aziraphale's tears finally fell. His immediate reaction was to take out his handkerchief to wipe them but before he could do anything, there was Crowley sitting next to him, gently holding his face and wiping away his tears. He planted a soft kiss on his angel's forehead before getting engulfed in a tight hug. There were definite sobs coming from the two of them and Adam couldn't help but smile because he knew they were tears of joy.

Eventually, the couple regained their composure enough to speak with the boy.

"Thank you, Adam. You have no idea how much this means to us... We'll give you your space, but do not hesitate. If there's anything you don't like, tell us and we'll do better." Insisted the angel.

The boy seemed to wave them off with a smile. "Just make sure I don't see you guys doin' it or anything like that. I think that would be **way** too awkward for me to deal with afterwards." His tone was a joking one, most likely to lighten the mood from all the earlier emotions, but it was an actual request.

Crowley couldn't help but laugh. "Don't sweat it kid. We're sexless, no urges whatsoever. At most, I'll just use him like a pillow and refuse to let go of him." Said the demon while standing behind the blond and draping his arms around Aziraphale's neck. He wasted no time in planting a kiss on the angel's left cheek as well.

Aziraphale was absolutely beaming and covered the demon's hands with his own. "It's true, he latches on like a koala-bear and refuses to let go. A bit like you in the mornings, with that death grip you always have on your bedsheets."

"Or like Dog and his favorite squeaky-toy. Our point being: you won't see anything that'll scar you for life or make things awkward between us. We promise." Said Crowley, easily looking the happiest Adam had ever seen.

The boy was very pleased by this, and while he would've gladly stayed on this topic for a longer while to learn more about his angel and demon, he knew he had to get started on the project he had been procrastinating all week long. "Great, now onto more boring stuff: should I just copy and paste that Mark Twain story info from the Wikipedia page, or pay to use someone else's report?"

The gasp that left Aziraphale was truly unnatural and fairly amusing to the other two. "Adam, that's plagiarism!" Said the angel as he bolted up from Adam's shoulder and started floating in front of his face.

Crowley was literally hanging off from him like a cape and decided to wrap his long legs around his waist, just to ensure he didn't slip off. He also moved his arms from his neck, to under the principality's arms. Essentially, he looked like Aziraphale was wearing him like a backpack.

"So? He never checks this stuff anyway, we're not in uni." Defended the boy.

Crowley looked passed Aziraphale's shoulder and winked at Adam, knowing this next comment would get on his nerves. "I say pay someone. Chances are, they already copied it from the Wiki, but changed enough so they wouldn't get flagged for plagiarism, which means you wouldn't either."

"Crowley!"

The demon grinned and continued as if he hadn't heard the blond's outburst. " **Unless** it's a public type of document online, in that case, it's too risky. What if Mr. Latimer's actually paying someone to grade his papers and they **do** check this sort of thing? You've gotta be smart about these things, Adam."

"The smart thing to do would for him to do the work **himself**!" Argued the angel.

"Oh come on, angel. The paper's due on Monday morning and he hasn't even read the book. Or shown interest in the story! There's no way he can make it now. May as well just drop everything and go play with The Them."

"Crowley has a good point. No way I'll be able to read that between today and tomorrow." He said with a smug shrug.

And that was how Aziraphale ended up reading Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" out loud for both of them to listen while Crowley rested on his lap and Adam took notes. It was an effective method, because by the time the angel finished reading the book, the boy had an outline ready and all he had to do was pass it onto the computer.

The following night, Aziraphale and Crowley watched from afar as he typed, how determined he looked to not fail this class. The demon could feel the pride radiating off his angel and it made his heart soar. At one point, the blond noticed.

"Why are you staring, darling?" Asked the principality.

Crowley inched closer to him, enough to wrap his left arm around the angel. "I'm just glad to have you again. Properly, I mean." He said, laying his head on Aziraphale's shoulder.

The blond smiled, planting a kiss on top of the demon's head. "That makes two of us... I love you."

"I love you more." Replied the black-haired entity.

Aziraphale let out a soft chuckle. "Impossible. I **am** a being of love, after all. It's only natural that I love you more."

"I don't follow the laws of physics, or any laws for that matter, angel. I **make** it possible." Argued the demon.

His ridiculous logic made the angel roll his eyes before bringing Crowley onto his lap to hug him properly. "Whatever you say, darling."

Adam smiled at their silly competition from the other side of the room. Even though he knew this would be a recurring theme between them, the fact that it made them so happy made it feel like it had been worth it. Cheesy PDAs and all.


End file.
